


southwest of home

by gothcowboy



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blackwatch Era, Blackwatch Jesse McCree, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Lazy Mornings, M/M, No Smut, Pre-Fall of Overwatch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-05 19:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19046536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothcowboy/pseuds/gothcowboy
Summary: The end of Blackwatch is here, and Jesse decides that he's not going to leave without his commander.Fluffy gift for @/jstarpye on Tumblr, for the May Flowers McReyes Exchange! <3





	southwest of home

Venice is where everything changed. 

 

Tangibly, the day is filled with the same regimen. Blackwatch’s current missions were put on hold until the press died down, leading to a handful more people on base. Specifically, it left Jesse around much more to listen to his two superiors yell at one another even more than before. Downtime for his career is usually a virtue, time to hang his hat and rest. Rest, realistically, was a hard thing to come by.

 

At night, the halls of Overwatch are quiet. Nowhere close to completely quiet though, as it’s easy to hear the humming of Hana’s game and her soft chatter from her room, or the inaudible talk of newscasters from Winston’s holographic television. They didn't stray far from the topic of Blackwatch, seeing as it was recent news, but it never seemed to yield. He hears Commander Jack Morrison's voice, stating his claims and making his own brand of excuses. Reyes' name thrown around like loose sour candy. 

 

Jesse's been a fool long enough to know when things are falling apart. He'd seen Deadlock fall to its knees by the hands of Blackwatch and had witnessed plenty of soldiers drown under pressure in the heat of battle; it always has the same symptoms after all. Murmurs against peers were commonplace now, talks of leaving even more so. Confliction sits in his stomach unsettled. 

 

Loyalty to Reyes has never been a question. He's killed men for him in seconds, loved him more than he'd like to admit. Jesse being Blackwatch's second-in-command wasn't even a choice, really, he just worked with Reyes' better than anyone else in the division could. It wasn't until decades after being cast out from Deadlock that he realized he was in love with his commander- but that was a story for another time.

 

The situation in Italy had woken Jesse up like a bomb to the idea that Reyes...kept things from him, after everything. He wishes that he would've seen any signs coming before that the betrayal was on the rise, it'd be easier to swallow that way. He trusts Gabriel and thinks of him as if he sat the moon among the stars. Gabe's a fine commander, the best damn cook in the world but the worst dancer, and above all, his home. 

But the abrupt decision of unnecessary murder on his hands? Sabotage of his own mission, putting his team in danger? Forgiveness for that came about as easy as swallowing down a fish still squirming. Even when it takes him weeks to set things straight in his mind, there are still factors unsolved. That's where it became the start of the end. 

 

Yet he'd be damned if he'd leave Gabe behind. 

 

The cigar sits heavy his hand down the hall. Moonlight sinks in through the skylights, the space above visible just so. McCree's steel-toed boots clack against the marble floors, the metal spurs jingling along. He's dressed in full uniform, despite it being the dead of night, blending in with the shadows. Within his right hand, he holds paperwork, actual paperwork that was skinned from a tree and not any of the technological comms BS that he's so used to dealing with.  Between the pages, his name's signed in big letters and crappy cursive signing off his retreat. 

 

It's not surprising to see that the light under Commander Reyes' door is shining all but dim. Jesse's been here before and there's never a time where the light is off. Sleepless nights were common for Gabriel anyway, and Jesse's been around to help sate them a couple of times. The knock rings out against the silence and the shuffling of feet is followed suit. The door opens and Gabriel looks at him with sunken features, tired and restless all at once. 

 

"You too, huh?"

 

"You should come with me." Jesse stiffens out his back, straightening up as he snubs out his cigar on his pant leg. He gets a good look over Reyes, who's currently strapped up in sweatpants and a black t-shirt all while looking half dead. A stripe of pity creeps up the cowboy's spine, and he shifts the papers in his hands. Before Reyes can make a lame excuse, he adds as he pushes the papers to Gabriel's chest, "Can I come in?"

 

It's a figure of speech almost as Jesse lets himself in anyway. The room itself is a mess, paperwork, and pens thrown about in the most chaotic manner. Not to say the room was really ever pristine in the first place but things just seem worse. Media must've been getting to him, Jesse notes as his eyes land on the large holoscreen with an impressively sized crack in it.

 

"You punched your TV?" the cowboy asks, a lighter tone to his voice. He takes a seat on the old leather love seat that he's passed out on plenty of times."And here you used to complain about Morrison gettin' all the attention."

 

"Not funny, Jess." Gabriel sounds cutthroat as he shuts the door behind them. Fingers pass through the papers one by one, Jesse can't help but wonder how many of those same papers Gabe has seen this week. A long sigh cuts through the silence. "You know I can't come with you."

 

"Why? It's not like you're a commander anymore," Jesse states pretty bluntly, gesturing to nothing. He winces after the words leave his mouth and he bites at his lip.

 

"Sorry, it's just..you can't do this forever, Gabe. It ain't good for you." 

 

The same excuse that Reyes' always comes out with is quick to leave his mouth. "But Overwatch needs to be led by groups with experience. Morrison can't do it alone, Jesse."

 

"Jack has Ana, who mind you is the better shot and the better brain between all three of 'ya," Jesse reiterates from time and time again. 

 

"Ana has Fareeha, she's not going to be around forever. If Overwatch is going to be run right, no, if Overwatch is going to defeat Talon--"

 

"It ain't your problem anymore Gabe! Your whole damn unit is nine feet in the ground!" That gets a firm reaction out of Gabe; it's the kind that Jesse used to be scared of when he was a tad younger. Except now, he keeps on a straightforward face full of concern and furrowed brows because the last thing he ever will be is scared of Gabe. "Look at yourself, and tell me you're not wearin' yourself down, Gabe. Blackwatch is gone, there's nothin' for you."

 

It feels harsh but it's for his own damn good, Jesse decides. He watches as the older man paces slowly across his tile floor, eyes moving from the cowboy's own hazel ones to his desk. Deep in the commander's chest is a burn to argue, but he's tired of arguing with people. Jesse's right, as much as he hates to admit it. 

 

"Do you even have a plan, Jess? What are we going to do, run around and gunsling under two stupid names and play hooky?" Gabriel retorts as he scratches at his own beard. "I don't look good in a cape or a cowboy hat, you know this."

 

"Nah, no more of that. We're retirin'." Gabe's face goes blank at that, as if someone had just told him he'd won the damn lottery- it doesn't feel real. "You and I are done for good. No more life-saving, no more stress. We leave that to the experts now." Jesse hand pats at the leather cushion and grins up at the man he's followed for almost all his life. Gabe sits right next to him, close, and Jesse looks at him like he's the most important man in the world. 

 

A warm calloused hand comes to his face and before he knows it, Gabriel's lips are on his. It's slow, passionate and the start of a new era. 

 

* * *

 

The next few days go by like molasses; Jesse makes his calls to a friend or two of his to set things in order while Gabe deals with his own tedious side of things. It's waiting, and they barely see one another. Jesse puts aside time to map out everything too; they're going to be smack in southwestern New Mexico. It's not far from where Truth or Consequences used to be, having been died out since the first Omnic War. His daddy bought some land way back when- a long, long time ago now- and it's only recently its come into his possession. He's ninety-nine percent sure the place is abandoned and all grown out, but with his salary and prior knowledge of how the land works down there, he's certain he can fix it up real nice.  

 

Gabe's decked out 1958 Chrysler Convertible holo-remake is packed to the brim with years worth of blood, sweat, and paperwork. Most of it is the commander's, though in the trunk sits a few humble of Jesse's. The car itself is Gabriel's pride and joy, and Jesse's reminded of this several times as he's loading up. 

 

As fun as a cross-country road trip to their new location would be, there's simply too much of a risk of being sniped or ambushed. The last thing he wants is a bullet through his brain while driving down the highway. So they load up Fio's drop-ship with the convertible for the night. Before it's time to go, Jesse makes sure to give everyone who's still around a hard 'see you later'. Gabriel does the same to a lesser extent as his time is spent Jack and Ana most of that last night. 

 

When everything is said and done, Jesse meets Gabe at the landing pad in the dead of the night. The stars are high in the sky, and the cold night makes Jesse's breath freeze particles in the air. He's loading up the passenger seat of the car with maps and suitcases when he feels the presence behind him. It solidifies into two arms reaching around and holding him on the chest. If Jesse wasn't so familiar with the feeling, he'd be knocking poor Gabriel onto the floor in seconds. Instead, the cowboy leans back into it smoothly, wiping his hands off on one another. 

 

"Howdy," a gruff whisper rings out in his ear. It's cute coming from Gabe's mouth, making Jesse chuckle as he leans into the warm touch. "You almost done here?" 

 

"Almost, I gotta few more bags to pack and grab the map from my room," he murmurs back, reaching back to scratch at Gabe's jawline. "Gonna need some coffee before we leave though." It was at least a 5-hour ride from base to the drop-off, and Jesse's been craving coffee since the morning broke. He hates to admit he lives off of it. 

 

"Already on it. Fio's a madwoman and Winston had to convince her not to take the whole damn Keurig on the dropship," Gabe hums, patting the middle of his lover's chest. "She's got six cups for each of us, if I remember correctly." 

 

Jesse's laugh echoes through the corridor. He turns and shifts in Gabe's grip to look at him full on with a wide grin on his face. Adrenaline in his veins pumps straight to his heart; he's excited as hell. "I can't believe this is it, Gabe. We're finally gonna be happy."

 

The ex-Blackwatch Commander's face went from gentle to earnest in seconds, and his smile matched Jesse's easily. He really did look tired, even now. Somewhere in Jesse's heart he deeply hopes he can remedy that, even if it's just a little while. 

 

Gabriel Reyes deserves to be happy, after all. 

 

* * *

 

McCree decides that it doesn't take much to make Gabriel Reyes happy, but he also decided he's not going to settle for the least he can do.

 

They're four hours in of the five-hour flight and Gabe's had his sleep mask on for the good majority of it. He also snores, something that Jesse's heard in the past and only now can be described as 'annoyingly lovely'. Jesse doesn't sleep, so instead, he twiddles his thumbs and maps out in his head the area. He drinks three of the six cups of coffee; one while talking to a half-asleep Gabriel, one on his own and the other talking to a very tired Fio. The fourth is downed as he's overlooking the map for the umpteenth time. 

 

There's a nervousness in his chest but it's the good kind, the same kind shows when he sees Gabe after a long trip or when they're napping on the way back from a mission. It makes him warm and fuzzy, makes his face flush and hope on for the best.  A part of him wishes the drop-ship had windows, as he can only imagine the dust and sand kicking itself over and over outside. 

 

When Gabe wakes, he finds Jesse kissing him on the cheek in the softest way. His eyes are wide, warm pools of hazel, and he can feel from his touch that his boy is buzzing with excitement. Not that the cowboy could be blamed. 

 

Fio drops them somewhere about 40 miles from their true destination; unloading the car from the ship is a bit of a hassle at first considering McCree's crappy driving skills, but they make it out fine. They unload supplies as well: wood, food, tools, some various metals that Jesse ordered before their trip officially started. Their pilot says her goodbyes. Jesse wishes her well and Gabriel reminds her not to die from a caffeine overdose. 

 

Then, just like that, they're on their own for good. 

 

* * *

 

Stars and universes above whirl and twinkle above them and throughout the desert. Among the night are smaller animals like squirrels and mice scurry among the reddish dirt and dust, hiding from coyotes and wolves who are keen on smelling them out. They weave among cacti and desert blooms, scampering then on between tires of a sleek convertible that sits outside of an older house in the middle of nowhere. Footsteps scare them away as McCree sleepily leads the way to the dirt path of their new establishment. 

 

The house itself is a nicer-than-expected welcome; the white exterior has dust that's probably sat on it for years with only two small windows in the front. There's a shabby garage that makes Gabriel's Corvette look like royalty with a crappy throne. The brown roof is flatter for Jesse's liking but Gabriel doesn't seem to mind. The door itself is pretty quaint but gives the whole exterior a charming feel to it. 

 

"More fixed up than I was expectin'," Jesse says as they both stand outside the house with the sand between their shoes. A cigarillo is lit in the night and brightens up the area in the least, then is passed to the other. "Pops never mentioned this place when I was a kid."

 

"Probably because you didn't listen," the older quipped back with a smirk, giving Jesse's shoulder a pat. There's a drawn-out 'hey now,' from Jesse in response but it gets cut off as Gabriel takes his hand. "You got keys?"

 

The mop of brown locks shakes, squeezing Gabriel's hand before letting go to hassle with the door. "Nope, I got a hunch of how to open it though." He goes from tugging on the knob to pushing on the door. Jesse then stands back, panting for a second, before going to kick down the door. It goes down with a large crash that sounds through the night, followed by Jesse's "ha-hah!" at his achievement. 

 

Gabriel snorts at that, folding his arms. He really fell in love with an absolute fool. "Cabrón, we could've just picked the lock, you know."

 

A cloud of dust emits from the door, the scurrying of a rat or two audible from the walls. Jesse looks back at him like a proud puppy and Reyes' heart swells. "It's easier this way," he laughs with a shrug, not far from the one Reyes is fond of himself. "Follow me."

 

For a place that was abandoned for a good amount of time, it's held up pretty damn good. The walls were painted a warm yellow, with white accents. There were only four rooms if Jesse remembers correctly, but even so, the space was fairly larger than it looked. Not perfect, of course, as the furniture having not been lived in for years has rotted some and worn down. The table in what seems to be the kitchen is bitten up by termites, according to Gabriel's expert opinion, and same for the couch legs. 

It's the same with the bed they find smack middle of the decent sized bedroom. The man talked like it was fun, with an eagerness that McCree couldn't have seen coming. He guesses he should've expected it from Gabriel, the man who practically knew how to do every household need on the face of the earth. The guy exfoliates dad energy, so not realizing Gabriel would be hyped up about house repair and being a fix-it man was a fault on his part. 

 

"Ain't no time to fix it now," Jesse states as he sees Gabe literally bend down to inspect one of the table legs. "Let me go grab us some blankets and we'll get started on it all in a matter of time." 

 

Despite the hours of sleep Gabriel got beforehand, he rests easily on the camp blanket Jesse sets out for the two of them on their new shabby bed. Jesse falls asleep before him, coddled in Gabriel's strong arms. The man runs his thumb from his jawbone to his lips, giving him gentle kisses as he drifts off. 

 

* * *

 

Jesse McCree wakes up to the warm smell of coffee for the first time in a long time. 

 

It's a sweet thing, he decides. Despite all his mind's reservations to stay in the warm bed, wrapped in the camp blankets, he gets up steadily. His eyes open and a quick realization that he isn't his base headquarters anymore. The walls aren't a dark black color but instead a warm yellow, easy on those sleep-wake eyes of Jesse's. He looks around, slowly, taking in everything around him. Gabe isn't next to him but he hears the soft tune of _Luz De_ _Día_ ringing out from the old radio he must've found while digging around. 

 

His legs become shaky as he gets up to wander the carpeted hallway into the kitchen. The sunlight from the windows peeks in like a vice along with the coffee bean smell. He finds the tall man he loves so dearly in the kitchen, humming along to the song as he loads dishes into the sink. A raggedy towel sits on his shoulder, which is bare save for the black wife-beater he's wearing and some littered scars from the past. Something in Jesse's heart melts with sincerity; the idea that they could even have this despite the lives they lead is..unfathomable. Jesse dreamed of things like this when he was younger and more naive, but it was more of an unreachable thing far from anything that could actually happen to him.

 

All of it is washed away once Gabriel moves, gesturing to the two coffees on the rickety table. Both are still hot, it seems, seeing the warm smoky steam come out of both of mugs. One of the mugs is a black, older mug that Jesse recognizes as the one he got Gabriel for Halloween at least four years ago now. It has little skulls on the back and along the rims and it was so dramatically edgy that Jesse couldn't not get it. The mug is dark enough so the completely black coffee that swirls inside blends right into it.  that The second one is a red and orange one that Gabriel "bought" for him his fifth year of being Blackwatch, though he swears that Gabriel painted it himself since the pattern perfectly matches his favorite serape. A lighter color sits still in the cup, as Jesse can't help but have a sweet tooth. Between the coffees sits Jesse's hat neatly. 

 

"Mornin'," says Gabriel, turning his head to get the cowboy in his peripheral. "You fell asleep with your hat on." 

 

Jesse's arms stretch out in a wide V shape, yawning loudly. "Yeah, well, I was tryin' to sound out your snoring, obviously." 

 

Gabriel then fully turns his upper body, hand mid-dish-wash as he cocks an eyebrow at the other. "Oh, so I snore now then? Last time I remembered you were the one that snored and talked in your sleep." 

 

"Ayye, I ain't never done that," the younger snarks embarrassedly, face going a tint of red. His hand moves for his coffee and he leans against the kitchen counter. The look Gabe bears into him and he chuckles. "Alright, maybe I did it once or twice. Don't change the fact that you snore like a pig in Sunday weather." 

 

"Sure, Jess," Reyes finishes up his dish and flicks his wet hand on McCree, making him jump just so. He snort-laughs at his own action until the man beside him takes the dish towel and smacks him upside the head with it. The play-fight turns when Reyes moves his hand to grab Jesse's and pin it against the counter, nothing more than a bit of pressure, of course. He slides his other arm around Jesse, trapping him against the counter. "Not much to do now, huh?"

 

Jesse shrugs, tugging his hands against the handmade restraints before going limp. "Eh, I can't say I mind this," he defuses, leaning forward to kiss at Gabriel's lips. They kiss for a hot minute before Reyes lets go of his hands only to pat his chest once, then twice. 

 

"Your breath is nasty," the ex-commander teases, kissing Jesse's forehead before turning. "Go see if our bathroom has running water, get washed up and we'll get to unpacking."

 

The cowboy laughs in response, chugging down the rest before placing his cup next to Reyes' once again. He turns, heading back to the backrooms before playfully adding, "Y'ain't the boss of me more, Reyes!" There's only a snicker in response. 

 

For once, Jesse thinks, that he can get used to having a home. 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this! I felt...soft writing this so hopefully, it conveys it! I'm thinking of writing more of this when I get off time, and will try to write more soon! :)
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!! Comments, kudos and bookmarks as well!!! <3


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